Hedgehog on the slopes
by Barrett
Summary: Boredom strikes the crew of the Typhoon on their trip through space. A dieing plane brings the crew to reality and on a trip to the planet they meet a new breed of Metarex. can they bring the planet to order?
1. Chapter 1 Boredom on the Typhoon

Sonic 9

Hedgehog on the

Slopes

A Sonic X Fan Fiction

By: David Carter

**CH.1: Boredom on the Typhoon**

Sonic yawned as he stared at the passing stars through the Blue Typhoon's window. So far the radar hadn't detected any planet eggs nor any Chaos emeralds making him extremely tired. The crew themselves were going insane with boredom and the entertainment on the Typhoon was endless! Sonic lost count of the stars and made his way to the radar, _still no sign of anything, he thought. _Cosmo and Tails were touring the Typhoon, Amy was snoring in the command chair seat, and Cream and Cheese were in the engine room bugging Knuckles, while up here he himself did no real fun at all! "Eggman where are you! Shouldn't you be messing up or on the prowl for emeralds?" Amy in the command seat turned over and dreamt more. Sonic sighed impatiently and just as he was about to leave, the radar blinked. "Amy wake up! Tell the others we found something, hurry!" Energy pulsed through his veins and as the crew came piling through the door they could tell they had hit the jackpot.

"The signal is up ahead," Tails said, he too was excited at the news. Sonic turned to his friend and gave a thumbs up, Tails smiled and everyone else smiled too. Miles "Tails" Prower was 10 years old and had been developing his genius IQ for quite sometime. He had been an admirer of Sonic before Amy and had gone to such lengths as to keep up with Sonic. The two formed a friendship when, to both their surprise, had an interest in planes. Tails furthered his love by learning mechanics; Sonic's original plane was the Tornado, in Station Square Tails built, along with the help of Chris Thorndyke, another plane called the X Tornado. The Blue Typhoon was another, this time a ship to go into outer space to stop the Metarex threat.

"I hope this one isn't a dud," Cosmo said. Cosmo was the last of her kind; her species were killed off by the Metarex, emotionless beings bent on power and destroying the planet's core, the planet egg. She wasn't trained in combat, but when her new friends were in danger, she got feisty. _I will destroy them, she thought to herself, to get away with their evil deeds will only cause more to suffer. They have a weakness; with the help of Sonic I'm sure we'll win this. _

"It looks beautiful," Amy commented on the view screen. Amy was Sonic's girlfriend; everyone had gotten use to it, except Sonic who couldn't bear her at times. At the age of 12 she was traveling through space and trashing up Metarex, not many hedgehogs her age did this. Tails had twin tails and was a fox; he had golden fur and at the age of 10 was practically the smartest one aboard the ship. Cosmo's age was indeterminable; she resembled a peaceful flower of green and white. Amy was a pink hedgehog; she loved pink and wore a pink dress, her temper led her at times to smash things. Then the bridge doors opened to reveal Chris.

"Hey…how come no one woke me up?" Chris Thorndyke, like Tails was a genius in some parts. However, Chris wasn't the age of 12, in fact during his travel to Sonic's world his cells had gotten scrambled from 18 to the age he was the last time he saw Sonic. All the lessons he learned in school were still fresh in his mind, but some of the adult growth didn't carry through. Chris was the only human aboard the Typhoon and it was by his creation that he was here now.

"You seemed so peaceful Chris," Cream said, "after all those nightmares we thought we'd let you rest." Cream was the youngest of the group and always was accompanied by her Chao Cheese. The Chao were mysterious creatures that had been around forever. Cream still missed her mother, but wanted to help Sonic and company in the battle ahead. Her ears were big and allowed her to fly in the sky, with the help of Cheese the two were a mighty duo. "You seem better now."

"Let's stop staring at that planet and get going," Knuckles said impatiently. Knuckles was about 16 years old and like Cosmo was the last of his kind. Angel Isle was his home where everyday he protected the master emerald. Before him was his race; and in warrior like fashion roamed the country side in battle. Tikal was a spirit of a dead princess who told him the story, her entrapment in the emerald was terrible, but in the end she got to rest in peace once Chaos was taken care of. Seeing he wasn't needed on the bridge he went to the engine room to look after the master emerald. Tails began to take sensor readings of the planet and brought up the analysis data.

"The planet's temperature is 50 degrees and the once blooming planet has turned to a frosty nightmare. No Metarex are around so it's safe for us to land. Two Chaos emeralds are located in the northern valley; each is hidden in the lower valley, which may mean we'll have to ski down." Sonic went to the storage compartment and pulled out the snowboard and mufflers. "The landing party will be Sonic, me, Cosmo, and Knuckles, the-."

"Tails what about us?" Chris stood by a scared Cream and a ticked off Amy, "we deserve to go as much as you, I mean have you forgotten about the Metarex stronghold?" A few days ago they had come upon a flying fortress with a count of 2 Chaos emeralds. Dr. Eggman in his usual trickery wished for a partnership. Chris had stolen the 2 Chaos emeralds from Eggman after Shadow delivered them and took them directly to Sonic. The planet egg however was lost and without it the fortress began to implode within. The group considered what he said and couldn't argue. "I suggest we let Amy and cream stay."

"Hey-what's with that? I helped Sonic as much as Chris and this is my reward? Sonic, stand aside and let me-." The huge mallet like Pico Pico hammer was revealed and as Amy held it above her head Sonic rushed forward and steered her aim elsewhere. She hit the deck and as it shook, Chris sighed out of relief. "Sonic I want-."

"Amy this isn't a time to want," Sonic said. "Look we need someone responsible and good at defending anything without giving in, both you and Cream are under that category. We'll be back before you know it and then…we'll talk." This caused Amy to relax and Sonic himself, who was afraid he'd have to snatch the hammer from her. Tails hit the landing controls and the Typhoon went into its landing cycle. Ice shot out from the surface and before it hit the Typhoon Cream had hit the shields. "It'll take a while for us to land, I suggest we fit in some R&R while we wait," Sonic suggested with a yawn. It was agreed and as everyone left the bridge they didn't see Shadow. Shadow came from the shadows of the ship and scratched his chin. He took a look at the plotted coordinates and tapped the magnification scope. 2 Chaos emeralds glowed before his eyes.

"Might do Eggman some good to find some emeralds. I should report what I've seen." Appearing in his hands were two Chaos emeralds. With their power he could go anywhere, so once again wit the two emeralds held close together he said, "Chaos control!" In a flash of white he appeared on the bridge of Eggman's ship. Decoe and Bocue turned from their stations and Rouge gave him a curious look. "Sonic is heading to the snowy Metarex planet. It's coordinates are 2:16, their sensors detected two Chaos emeralds, I suggest we go there."

"It might do us some good," Eggman said thoughtfully, "alright, Bocue enter the coordinates and take us there. Shadow your proving yourself more and more, I'm proud I found you." Dr. Eggman was in theory to be in his late 40's or early 50's, no accurate age has been found yet to be acceptable. He was overweight wearing a red outfit and was balding. For years unknown he was hunting Sonic and in original fashion try to destroy humanity. They failed and he often was left in a flaming wreckage after Sonic and friends were done.

"Coordinates entered Dr.," Bocue reported. Bocue and Decoe were two experiments made by Eggman, both failed experiments when their original design was superior and smart. Rouge was a secret agent working for an agency back in Station Square, for now her current status was working for Eggman, and at any possible and available situation try and leave with hidden loot. Shadow's story had to do with Gerald Robotnik who wanted to do good, when everything went wrong Shadow became evil. The granddaughter of Gerald, Maria told Shadow to help people, so part of him revolved around good. "Dr. Eggman there's a Metarex following us!"

"Decoe full power to the engines and don't slowdown!" The engines roared and everyone barely had enough time to get a hold of something. The Metarex held its ground and scanned the ship with its mysterious powers. It then reported to its master.

"The Eggman is heading to the planet, require assistance." As he waited he observed the movement of the stars and planets. The trail left by the enemy was still fresh. The Metarex were armor like beings, their existence in the galaxy had lasted ages. The fact that they had two enemies to deal with complicated their plans of total domination. A crackling noise was heard and in the space before him a shimmering shape was seen. The Metarex commando stood there awaiting orders.

"Assistance is granted. Report to the planet and delay any plot the enemy Sonic has. Their resistance is noted, in the end we will not fail."


	2. Chapter 2 Disaster in snow

Sonic 10

**CH.2: Disaster in snow**

"Shadow…Shadow…" Chris struggled in his covers and in his sleep as he saw the hedgehog. Their adventure on Space Colony Ark wouldn't leave him and the fact that Shadow still hung around with Eggman hurt him. His eyes opened and with a mad tantrum he threw his covers to the floor. He held his head in pain and figuring he couldn't bear sleep again slipped on his slippers and walked into the hallway. The ship was asleep and Chris walked through the corridors trying to get his mind off Shadow. The Typhoon's alarms blared and Chris rushed to the bridge to see the sensors pick up a vehicle. "That shape…it can only mean we weren't the only ones-." Rubbing his head he remembered when they were on the bridge, but it felt like someone else was there. _Eggman was too far away to hear us, Chris thought, so that means!_"Shadow was here!" The radar was right on dot of Eggman's ship and it told him they were entering the atmosphere. "I could let the others sleep, then they'd be the last to know, still it seems wrong," Chris said this aloud and figured it would be mean to let the others know late. "Sonic, Amy, Cosmo, Tails, Knuckles, Cream, Cheese; report to the bridge now!"

**"**What's the matter Chris?" Sonic was the 1st one up and he still wore his nightcap. Tails was too tired to walk and his twin tails helped him float up the stairs. Cream and Cheese were rubbing sleep from their eyes and Amy was leaning on her hammer. Knuckles was again impatient and alert to the new alarm. Chris told them about Eggman's ship and the fact that Shadow heard them plot their course of action. "Tails bring up the shields and let's follow that Eggman."

"Ok Sonic, everyone let's hold on to something, just as a precaution," he added. The coordinates were plotted and under the careful flying of Miles "Tails" Prower they fought their way through hail of ice and once through they beheld a snowy valley. The landing cycle was warmed up and with a soft landing they were there. Amy sat in her chair emotionless as the group put on warm clothing and padding. Tails noticed her and waved, but she seemed dejected now.

"I have a reading on the Chaos emerald," Chris said. By now everyone had their gear on and as they headed out Chris brought up a visual map. "The quickest route to get them will be down that hill." Cosmo followed the group and tripped over her skies and fell face first into the snow. Tails helped her up and the two looked into each other's eyes, but quickly examined their gear; each blushing, both afraid their feelings were not felt by the other. Chris noticed them, and smiled.

"Cosmo you can join on my snowboard…that is if you want," Tails said. Cosmo agreed and as they joined the others they shared their surprise at how steep the hill was. Sonic gave Knuckles a grin and dipping the nose of his snowboard down began to race down the hill. Knuckles followed close behind steering left with his body to avoid trees and right to avoid logs. Sonic hit a ramp and somersaulted into the air landing with his hands up. Knuckles broke open snowballs on his way and always faltered on the ramp. "What the-?"

"Destroy Sonic!" The ground shook and Chris put his skies in the snow to come to a stop. The huge Metarex towered over the trees and its huge legs were half in the ground. The ground shook again and the mountain began to loose its hold on the snow. Sonic stared up at the menacing Metarex and as he lost attention tripped over a leg. The Metarex lifted its huge leg to squash Sonic and over the trees came a yellow beam. The beam crashed into the Metarex causing it to redirect its firing aim. Sonic lifted his head and saw the Typhoon had once again got airborne and had locked onto the Metarex. The snow crashed into the ground and Chris started to race down the mountain as the avalanche followed. "Primary objective: destroy Sonic!"

"These Metarex don't slow down do they?" Amy said over the comm. The Typhoon released another beam, this time the Metarex shot first up and scored a hit on the Typhoon. The circuits began to overload and Cream and Cheese jumped from their console as it erupted in flames. "Sonic the whole place is on fire…we are…" Amy felt the heat first, then the blinding flash, then nothing. Cream and Cheese dragged Amy out of the cockpit and both collapsed. Meanwhile the avalanche was increasing in momentum and the 5 Typhoon members had snow on their heels. Sonic tapped his communicator and heard nothing.

"Hey I think I'm getting the hang of this!" Knuckles was ahead of Sonic and trees stood no longer as his obstacle as he dashed left and right sending snow everywhere. Sonic's gaze was on the Typhoon which had caught fire in many primary areas and now was descending into the mountains. Chris kept his skies in constant motion and Tails was having a good time with Cosmo. "Is that-?" Knuckles soared over the chasm and onto the other side ignoring what he previously was about to say. Up ahead were two glowing shapes and each were within his area. "I beat you Sonic!"

"Try that some other time Knuckles," Sonic said. Knuckles looked to his right and as a shadow plopped in front of him he hit the brakes and hit the snow. Sonic slid to a stop and unlatched the bracings that held him to the board. The emeralds were there and as he walked forward engines from above made him jump. Looking up he saw Eggman's ship and as the ramp fell down Sonic became very tensed as Shadow walked down. "Heard you are still hanging around with Eggman, quite a guy; if you can get past his losing streak and baldness."

"Enough Sonic," Eggman said as he walked past Shadow. "These emeralds are mine; just think of it as just cause after that brat Chris stole my other two. Shadow grab the emeralds!" Sonic rushed forward and as Shadow landed from the ramp he tackled him. The two hedgehogs were choking each other and as they rolled, Eggman grabbed the emeralds in sneaky fashion. The ground shook violently and as they looked at the floor it cracked open. The Metarex lumbered at them, but missed them as they fell spiraling into the depths of the planet. "Blast you hedgehog, this is why I told Shadow to get the-."

"Don't put the blame on me Eggman," Sonic said as they fell faster. "While me and Shadow were at each other's necks, you were sneaking over to the emeralds. It's always like you to steal anything without considering a trap," Sonic said. Their spiral of doom ended and with a thudding headache they hit something. "Knuckles?"

"Yeah…I'm here," he groaned. Up above the Metarex, with its strength, closed the crack above sealing them in. _Great now I'm stuck with two insanely competitive hedgehogs, and one not to miss evil genius, Knuckles thought, with my luck I'm bound to meet that annoying pest and two robot lackeys._ Eggman's ship hissed open and as the ramp fell down Bokunn poked his head out and Decoe and Bocue fell down missing the ramp. "Eggman you're to blame-."

"Pipe down can't a girl get any sleep around here?" Knuckles grinded his teeth and as he turned his head he saw the remarkably mischievous white bat Rouge. Rouge took a look out and when she saw the damp caves surrounding the ship she shook her head at her luck. _Knuckles the annoying echidna is here, now we have a party, she thought. _Soaring past Bokunn she landed beside Eggman and jabbed him in the belly. "So Dr. Eggman, got any ideas on escape?"

"Not at the moment Rouge," Eggman said, "besides I suggest we explore the cave. You might not want to hear this but…I seemed to have lost the emeralds in our fall." Time seemed to standstill, but not long because just then Sonic and Knuckles pushed Eggman down and started wailing on him. Rouge pulled Knuckles off and Shadow pulled Sonic off; both struggled to get free and began the pain again. "Look, we are down here together, I suggest we work together to get out. Rouge and Knuckles will lead the way seeing how they are emerald sensitive."

"I will not help you get those emeralds Eggman, even at the possibility of escape," Knuckles said stubbornly. Sonic nodded his head in agreement and Eggman had his back to them confused. "Sonic and I will find a way out; whatever we find along the way is ours!"

"If that's the way you feel," Eggman said. While Eggman had his back to them he secretly conversed with Decoe, Bocue, and Bokunn. "Tie the hedgehog and echidna up, but do it without notice." Decoe took the right, Bocue took the left, and Bokunn stood there making funny faces. _At times they can be robotic fools, he thought, but then there are their bright points. _Within minutes the two heroes were tied up and were put at the back of the line. "Those emeralds are mine now!" The hours seemed to drag and the walls seemed to play tricks on their minds by leading them in a circle.

"There are no emeralds here, nor were there any here on our third trip," Rouge complained. Knuckles and Sonic looked up and noticed she was right. The left wall was filled with holes, the right had ancient writing; neither held any emeralds, not even the ground. Exhausted beyond measure the party rested where they stood and for what seemed like a long time rested.

Tails jumped the chasm with relative ease and as he landed he skidded to a stop. The huge Metarex seen before was closing on a hole. Looking at his surroundings he saw no Sonic or Knuckles, and behind the Metarex were touchdown marks of a ship, _no doubt its Eggman, Tails thought. _Cosmo clung to his back as the Metarex turned its haunting gaze upon them. Chris crash landed near them and as he lifted his snow covered face he got up in fear. The huge Metarex took a step towards them causing the ground to quake. "Chris, any ideas?"

"Unless there's a huge canon nearby, I can't say I do," he said nervously. Just as it was to squish them a loud screeching sound was heard and all its actions were halted. The group had no idea what to do, but Chris thought it would be a good idea to climb aboard, so he did. "C'mon, let's see where it goes. It may know where the planet egg is." So they climbed aboard and as the Metarex reawakened from its slumber jumped into the air and soared to its new coordinates.


	3. Chapter 3 Long way up

Sonic 11

**CH.3: Long way up**

The Typhoon lay on its side on a mountain trail and inside three were still alive. Amy coughed and struggled into a sitting position and saw the ship in a complete breakdown. Cream and Cheese were in the corner afraid. "Hey Cream you ok?" A spark was shot up above and Amy struggled to hold it together. _So, this is how it ends, she thought glumly, no final words, just a ship caught in flames. No, I won't die here; there must be a way out of here. _"Cream do you know if we have an extinguisher?"

"Yes, but it's on the 2nd floor," Cream said. Cheese added his own reply and Cream translated, "but it's blocked by huge blocks of the ship, to get we'd need a huge machine." Amy reflected on that and held up her Pico Pico hammer. Taking slow and steady breaths she released all her anxiety and then with that out of her system she ran into the corridor. Flames were still eating away at the bulk of the ship and Amy walked down the heated corridor. "Amy come back, it's too dangerous."

"Cream we've got to save the ship, without it we may be stuck here for a very long time." Turning right she made it to the elevator and with the 2nd level entered waited for the elevator to start. _I'm a 12 year old hedgehog and I'm facing extreme dangers, I wish Sonic was here, she thought._ The elevator started and just as it hit the 2nd level Amy got off. Before her was a debris pile and beyond it was the only extinguisher on board. A noise behind her brought her around with her Pico Pico hammer raised, but all she found was the elevator. Lowering her hammer she walked forward and that's when they appeared. The Metarex surrounded her and she gripped her hammer stronger. "Well it's about time!"

"Target identified-destroy." As the 1st lunged at her Amy somersaulted in the air with her hammer and with a down thrust smashed it in his head. The rest began to converge in on her, their programming however never taught them about hedgehogs who fought with hammers. Amy tore through them in a whirlwind of smashing and when she leaned exhaustedly on her hammer, the Metarex lay on the floor in metallic shards. Seeing the extinguisher she made her way to the elevator. Cream was there and together they battled the flames. It seemed to work, the flames died.

"C'mon Cream lets get out of here before we get hotter then we already are," Amy said. _I'm hot, she thought, wish Sonic saw it._

The huge Metarex soared through the sky unaware that riding with it were three passengers. Chris gazed at the blur of ground below; even at this speed and height all he saw was white, which meant the whole planet had suffered from the loss of the planet egg. Cosmo held on tightly to the Metarex's leg and Tails held on with one gloved hand, his other hand was working on a data pad; Chris looked over and noticed a message from Amy was there:

"Typhoon crashed in the mountains,

don't worry Cream and I escaped. The

ship is down ad we are exploring. Is

Sonic alright? If so give him my love."

Chris was relieved the two were ok, but hearing about the Typhoon made him frown. "What do we do when we are done here?"

"The Typhoon is in the mountains, without the transportation we have now; it would likely take a good week. The repairs will cost us dear time, hard to say when we'll lift. Look the Metarex is landing!" The three held on as the Metarex hit its thrusters and began its descent into the snow. The snow began to melt and once through they beheld an armory base filled with Metarex, only they were covered in white and each had blue eyes. _The Metarex have eyes? Tails thought as he scanned the new creations curiously._

"We have to shut this place down, if we don't and the Metarex prevail who knows what dangers await new travelers," Cosmo said, her eyes were misty and both Tails and Chris knew that thinking about the Typhoon would have to wait. Chris jumped down and Tails and Cosmo followed. "Tails, Sonic hasn't called in, I worry about that friend of yours, he never thinks before he leaps or-."

"He does…at times," Tails said. By now after minutes of aimless wondering they came upon a broken down elevator; the whole control box was smashed in. _I can't rely on Sonic anymore, he thought, what Cosmo says has a point, but he has saved our necks more than once. Amy still wants to be with Sonic, he thought with puzzlement, even after his constant avoidance of her._ "With the elevator out…it looks like we'll have to climb."

"Climb…up there?" The three bent their heads back to see tiny steps leading up 10ft of stressful climbing, then a huge control to deal with. _I hate P. E., Chris thought with hateful memory, climbing was never my best._ Cosmo saw no other way and took the 1st step. Her determination to rid the galaxy of the Metarex made Chris and Tails do so as well. Chris held onto the step above with a sweaty grip and couldn't wipe his head dotted with perspiration. Cosmo herself after what seemed forever had lost her steel determination and was shaking after each step. Chris who was below her couldn't get her in time as she slipped and began her long fall. "Tails look up!"

"What…why look up-?" Tails looked up and felt Cosmo's body crash into his sending the two spiraling to where they began, the bottom. Chris held on hoping above hope that his friends survived, but to go after them would their operation down. Fighting panic Chris pulled himself up and after 2 more grueling minutes he had made it to the top. The controls were ahead and were guarded by the huge Metarex that had helped them get here. Crawling on his belly he made his way to the nearest control board, right under the Metarex's nose.

"Thank you Tails," Cosmo said appreciatively as she stared down at him. Tails's eyes were spinning and his back was crushed by Cosmos's but inside it felt good. Cosmo got off and helped Tails up and for a moment the two considered each other as more then friends. "How are we going to help Chris now?" Tails rubbed his sore back and stared at the lines of Metarex and the threat the planet faced. He was 10 going on 11, someday, for now at the age of 10; if he seeked 11 he had to stop these huge monstrosities. "Tails, what is it?"

"These Metarex are absorbing a high quantity of Chaos emeralds, when Chris shuts down the field we can snatch them; that way if the controls snap back there will be no source of power. Maybe we'll find the planet egg; if we do…the snow above may collapse in-."

"Trapping us forever," Cosmo finished with a sad tone. Chris meanwhile had pulled the 1st lever causing a fluctuation in the field, so far no one noticed. Chris noticed a tube behind the huge Metarex and realized to stay in its form it needed a bundle of energy, meaning what they seeked could lie behind it. Chris had now taken to a crouch and worked a few dials bringing up a map of the factory. The blue represented production rate of the Metarex, the red meant energy usage, and yellow…the source of it.

"If I could only reach the other lever," Chris thought aloud and licked his dry lips. The huge Metarex stood there in the shadows and Chris took his time getting to the lever. Pulling it down the factory began to shake; which in turn awoke the Metarex below in an electrical rage. Chris ran away from the exploding panel seconds before a huge foot smashed the ground. The elevator was still shut down, but as the Metarex began to widen its lens his choices became scarce. Climbing in he made it to the far end; seconds later the cable snapped sending the elevator down at a screaming rate. The other elevator sat peacefully below, but as the 2nd smashed into the concrete little was left. "When I get home…no more elevators."

"Chris c'mon!" Tails flew over and helped Chris up and just as they left the shamble of an elevator, it became debris when the huge Metarex landed. The trio stumbled into a hallway and had to constantly shield their heads as the walls exploded revealing fumed off Metarex. Tails grabbed hold of Chris and Cosmo as the floor collapsed and the young fox took the duty to get them to safety. Chris stared below at the void of darkness and felt his stomach drop. Cosmo had her mind ahead and as they landed walked forward-right into the foot of an-."

"Power will be up in twelve hours, your fun ends here," the Metarex bent down and the three stared into its jewel. Behind them were more Metarex and Chris knew too well that the pain ahead was far worse then the climb they had just done. The Typhoon was down, Sonic and Knuckles were missing, Amy and Cream were lost, and right now they had walked blindly into a Metarex facility, ready to be delivered to their deaths.

Knuckles the echidna was the protector of the master emerald, he now sat in the dirt in the company of Rouge and Eggman; and no emerald. After being lost for what seemed days the group set up camp, conversation was as dry as the wall around them. Dr. Eggman had a deck of cards out and was losing a great deal to the jewel thief Rouge. _Eggman doesn't have any luck, he thought, next thing he'll be giving her is the Chaos emeralds…which can not be found. _Knuckles left the two and found Shadow staring in the direction they came from. "Well Shadow, see any way of escape?"

"The darkness holds no answer, the escape which is sought can not be found, good enough echidna?" Shadow chose this time to leap into the air and onto a ledge above. Sonic tossed a rock into the campfire and stared up at the hedgehog whose very story he had no clue still about. Decoe and Bocue were bored and decided to bug Bokunn; who is in the distance looking at a watch; the picture inside is hidden in the light.

"What are you looking at Bokunn?" Decoe peered at the picture but got a hard jab to the nose, what he saw he couldn't say as few bolts were loosened. Decoe rubbed his metallic nose and tried to grab at the fleeing Bokunn. Bocue stood still as he tried to decipher a growl, but Decoe pulled him away; if he hadn't a beastly claw would've ended him. Eggman sat across the nemesis he had been defeated by for years and felt in the cave enemies can become allies.

"So…Sonic, is that Amy still chasing you?" Sonic poked the fire with a stick ignoring him. Eggman looked at the walls and found some symbols familiar, but how? "Shadow come here and tell me what that says," he said finally. Shadow somersaulted to the ground and skidded to a halt by the fire. His dark eyes scanned the ancient language and Sonic looked at the ultimate life form, really not sure if he was a hedgehog at all. "Well, don't keep us in-."

"The writing is form a journal of a team of scientists; they explored these caves just 6 weeks before our arrival. Their species are complex and the journal tells of their rich planet becoming dryer and storms becoming worse. They got most of the population down here before the arrival of the Metarex. Groups of the scientists began to vanish and it became apparent what they faced was an Aporla, the beast was found in the depths; up until…then it ends," Shadow said showing no real emotion. Sonic and Eggman got on their feet as a loud growl roared through the cave. Shadow stared at what seemed like six huge towers, but as a huge menacing head lowered it was soon corrected. The cave shook and loose dirt began to fall down.

"The Chaos emeralds…they are here," Knuckles said. Sonic began to run up the side of the wall and Shadow on the other; the two landed on the Aporla's back steadying their landing with a crouch. Knuckles and Rouge began their search for the Chaos emeralds and dug up whatever gave away. Dr. Eggman resorted to distracting the Aporla by firing his gun. Decoe, Bocue, and Bokunn ran to the ship and cowered in the cabin. "The shaking…is not helping anyone-."

"Forget the shaking Knuckles," Rouge advised the echidna as she clung to a sinking wall, "focus on finding those Chaos emeralds." Rouge began to dig again into the wall, this time she found a skeletal remain of a scientist. Gulping back her fear she tossed it aside and forged ahead. The hedgehogs began to attack the back of the Aporla with homing attacks; Shadow had popped many blisters now and Sonic himself was using the horns to drill a hole into the Aporla. Rouge pulled out another skull and tossed it aside disgustedly. Knuckles sighed in irritation and almost gave up, but a curious object caught his attention. "Knuckles stop wasting your time playing in the dirt we-."

"Hold on bat girl, I think I may have found something," he said hating her impatience. Pushing the switch in he awaited a miracle, what he felt was thunderous quakes and shifting dirt. _That wasn't supposed to happen, he thought._


	4. Chapter 4 Storm of the Typhoon

Sonic 12

**CH.4: Storm of the Typhoon**

Amy Rose was near exhaustion as she and Cream climbed another rock in the maze. After leaving the Typhoon she sent a message to Tails, when trying to contact him again she received static. Cheese the Chao that accompanied Cream was hungry and Amy felt weak on her feet. Amy collapsed onto the next platform and behind her Cream and Cheese sank to their knees. Amy dreamt about Sonic and when she opened her eyes she was on a hill overlooking a vast ocean. Getting up was a struggle, when she succeeded she saw Sonic standing with his back to her. "Sonic…you're here!"

"Amy this has to end," he said stiffly. Amy felt the wind had knocked her down again and misty eyed stood back up. "We're separated by a 4 year gap and we have nothing in common. I'm into sports, chilidogs, and speed, does it surprise you?" Amy balled her fingers into a fist and in her other hand was her Pico Pico hammer. Sonic turned to face her and began to walk towards her. "Amy Rose, my big fan if you know stuff about me then you know I hate slowpokes. You're in danger constantly, in other words a damsel in distress. Give up Amy…I'm still running from commit-."

"Sonic…running away isn't the solution to everything. We can do this together. Damsel in distress, I think not, besides that who's saved your spined butt on more then one occasion? Face it Sonic you need me and speed won't get you away; I'll always have your back." The dream ended and Amy sat up with a pain in her spine. Was Sonic in my dreams? No, he couldn't have said those mean things, she thought. Waking up Cream and Cheese Amy hurried them to the top where found a…an emerald!

"Hurray another Chaos emerald," Cream said with delight. Cheese was about to get the emerald when the mountain shook and from the soil came a huge flying beast. Amy pulled Cheese away as the beast bit the Chaos emerald and began to flap away. Their choices were limited so it came only a second from then. "We need that Chaos emerald, and then maybe we'll find the others," Cream said determinedly. She flapped her ears and landed on the beast's back with Cheese beside her. Amy barely made it by clinging onto the long talon of the leaving beast. The beast squawked at them and flew upside down to try and rid itself of its enemies. Cream noticed the red Chaos emerald and said, "Cheese go get it."

"Cream it's too risky," Amy said. Cheese though little had strength that matched a Swat Bot. The beast flapped its wings hard and Amy got hit with loose feathers that pricked her. Cheese flew through the blind haze of feathers and settled onto the Chaos emerald. The beast bent its neck back and its huge iron jaws snapped at Cheese. Amy raised her Pico Pico hammer and smashed it into the beast's stomach. The distraction got Cheese a Chaos emerald, at the same time the beast lost altitude. Cream grabbed the falling Chao and grabbed Amy just before they crashed…right back near the Typhoon. "Great, we're here again."

"At lest we have a Chaos emerald," Cream said helpfully. Walking back into the ship they saw a steam of wreckage and after a tour of the engine room found the master emerald unharmed. "How do we find Sonic and the others?" Amy considered the question and by the time they reached the bridge she had it. "Amy you have that-."

"We'll go to them, just may take sometime," she said. Jumping into the pilot seat she began to work furiously on getting the ship up, Cream took a nap in the captain's seat. _Sonic hold on I'll be there in a second._

"Whoa what's that?" Sonic slipped and almost fell as the cave shook. Staring over at where Knuckles stood Sonic shook his head, _great job Knuckles, he thought. _Jumping down Sonic ran over to Knuckles and in a split second pulled him away from the collapsing mound that once was a wall. Rouge meanwhile was inside the wall carving a tunnel with her now dirty nails. A glimmer was ahead and forgetting about her dirty features she began to dig faster and faster until she was face to face with a red Chaos emerald. It was here-.

"Hey Knuckles I found-." Rouge began but her body stiffened as a worm came slithering from the front. Its eyes were glowing red and its body was disgusting. _Why must these jewels be in the company of bugs? She thought with disgust. _The worm began to open its mouth wide revealing hideously green teeth and with no real idea how to fight this, Rouge grabbed a mound of dirt and threw it. The worm choked, which gave her a few precious seconds before it realized that what it was choking on was normal dirt. The emerald was in her hands and after an estimated 3 minutes she crawled out to find the others.

"Hey I was…we were…your ok," Knuckles said trying hard to remain tough. Sonic and Shadow found the last emerald located at the far end of a dead end; the only possible route were six platforms, all separated by a long jump. Sonic took the 1st leap and Shadow wasn't close behind and soon both hedgehogs were aerial bound on yet another rivalry based challenge. "I bet Sonic will reach it first."

"Don't underestimate Shadow Knuckles; but if you want to bet then I'll bet on Shadow reaching the jewel first." Shadow was in the lead and was one platform away from obtaining the Chaos emerald. Rouge stared hungrily at the shining emerald and licked her lips anticipating the win. Sonic chose another route from jumping and took to pole acrobatics; which kept him airborne and way out of missile range. The missile missed him and cracked a pillar in two. "Dr. Eggman this is an honest bet, not some-."

"It is now Rouge," Eggman said with a snap. Shadow grabbed the emerald but hesitated as he saw Sonic being chased by Eggman's missile. The missile's trajectory matched Sonic's every maneuver, tiring him out. Pulling out the two Chaos emeralds Shadow focused on its energy and in a white flash was running at incredible speed. The missile was on Sonic, but before it could detonate Shadow grabbed Sonic and focused on landing behind Eggman.

"Eggman, I believe the Chaos emerald should go to Sonic, that way it'll be…" Shadow had a flash of memory and saw Maria Robotnik and the words came. "All is fair in love and war, so fairness means equality, give the Chaos emerald to Sonic, Rouge," Shadow said. Rouge at first was reluctant to hand over her pride and joy, but eventually gave in and Shadow tossed her his, much to her bewilderment. The Aporla however had no sense of peace and stamped its feet angrily.

"Well, since we're on this fair business, why doesn't the good Dr., give us a lift out of here," Sonic suggested. Dr. Eggman was about to deny the cheating hedgehog a lift, but seeing Shadow made him realize he didn't want to go there. The cave began to shake with each the Aporla made and the group ran. Sonic and Shadow dodged falling rocks and flipped over slopes as they rounded the corner. In the back Knuckles and Rouge smashed any rocks that got in their way. "Shadow, you never cease to amaze me, after-."

"Sonic, just run," Shadow said. The Ark, my sleep, space; why do I still fight with them? I work for Dr. Eggman, but back there I gave up a Chaos emerald, why? Maybe the good in me has always been there, he thought while racing alongside Sonic, I live a life of both evil and good, is this where the two meet? Up ahead was Eggman's ship and once onboard Eggman put the Chaos emerald into the drive and got the engines online. "So, I guess this is sayonara Sonic-."

"Trust me Shadow, we will meet again," Sonic said as they came out of the dark and into the light. Sonic pulled a board from the side and leaped out of the ship and onto the slopes where he began to descend. Knuckles took a moment of silence with Rouge then took another board and skied after Sonic. "Hey Knuckles, has Chris called yet?"

"No, neither has Amy on the Typhoon; I hope the master emerald is unharmed," he said. Knuckles skied harder and when he reached the end of the slope his eyes grew big at what he saw…a Metarex lowering itself into the snow? "Sonic how do the Metarex have a base here? We didn't-."

"Detect anything," Sonic finished as he kneeled in the snow. "The Typhoon's sensors can pick up the faintest trace of a Chaos emerald, why not a Metarex base filled with them?" Jumping down, Sonic ran forward with Knuckles behind him and at the last possible second dove in after the Metarex. The hidden base contained lines of two eyed and huge Metarex; all had their attention on the arrival of the Metarex scout. "We're deep in enemy territory Knuckles."

**"**Now who's idea was it to come down here in the first place, oh I forgot it was you!" He said. Sonic ignored him, though he knew he was right, and continued his search for any Chaos emeralds…and a reason for them being hidden. As the Metarex flew over to a control console it became apparent by the huge storm machine. With the right amount of Chaos emeralds and no planet egg, this was the perfect cover for an invasion. "Do you think Chris and the others are here?" _If they are, he thought, we have a big problem. _

"Hey is that Chris?" Hurrying over to a panel they peered over to see a beaten kid followed by a scratched plant and limping fox. Both Sonic and Knuckles felt hatred towards the Metarex and a burning desire to tear down the base wire to wire. Chris was pushed to his knees and from the corner came a gold colored Metarex.

"Today as we prepare to launch the Metarex series Z, let us remember the sacrifice to come this. These 3 have been ruining our plans, so it seems no surprise their punishment-is death. Once their gone we shall launch our full squadron in search of the hedgehog Sonic. Prepare to execute the prisoners."

"Hey you want to kill, then try to kill me," Sonic popped up from his hiding place and felt his stomach begin to tighten as the Metarex turned to him in unison. Their lunges were met by Sonic's speed as he drilled through their metal chests and came out sending bolts and bits of shards everywhere. Knuckles soared through several and landed on top of two and chunked their head into each other. Chris, Tails, and Cosmo made a run for it and made their way to where they believed the planet egg rested. Sonic and Knuckles were tiring out and just like their previous battle if one Metarex fell, another took its place. "Knuckles, got any plans?" Sonic asked him. The Metarex had them surrounded and echidna and hedgehog were back to back.

"Well, we could try a heroic fall," Knuckles said. Sonic failed to see the humor as the gold Metarex picked them up. Knuckles smashed into a Metarex and continued tearing them apart until one of them hit him to the deck. Sonic began to see as his air was cut off and his resistance became useless squirms. They had faced odds like this in Station Square against Eggman's mechanical contraptions, even on the Station, but this was ridiculous. _I can't give up, Knuckles thought._

"A final obstacle about to be removed; farewell annoying hedgehog, your annoying nature will be missed," the Metarex said. The wall during the fight had turned a red, no one noticed; and as the gold Metarex tightened its vice like grip the wall gave in sending a cloud of debris and metal towards the Metarex. The Blue Typhoon was hovering behind the debris and beside it was Eggman's ship. "Ignore the cloud and-."

"Give in to the good guys," Amy said. The Typhoon's lasers pierced through the cloud cover and tore the Metarex apart in an electrical haze. Amy Rose came through swinging her Pico Pico hammer and jumping over shards of Metarex. Rouge, Shadow, and Dr. Eggman followed and observed the chaos surrounding the Metarex. Amy swung her hammer hard and busted a Metarex's chest in. "Cream, help Sonic!"

"You heard her Cheese, power up the laser," Cream commanded. Cheese the Chao was in the weapons chair and looked through the targeting scope and saw a gold Metarex with Sonic. Zooming in, Cheese pushed the fire button and was sent out of the chair as the Typhoon let out a yellow pulsing beam into the Metarex. The Metarex fell to one knee giving Sonic enough time to drop to the deck. "I saved Sonic Amy!"

"Great job Cream, now keep the shields up until I give the signal," she said. In the access room where all information was sent or received; Chris, Cosmo, and Tails stood there. In a huge case was the planet egg, but to get there they needed to first get untied. Tails went to the spare parts drawer and a spare shard was used to release him. Once free Tails began work on a program to break through to the planet egg. Chris lowered the shields, and Cosmo walked around eyeing everything with disgust. The program gave in and the metal covering of the case began to slowly lift.

"So Cosmo, what do you do when you've completed your mission?" Chris stared over at Cosmo and caught her off guard. _Apparently she hasn't thought much about it, Chris noted. I for one may be 12, but in my world I'm 18, that's where I'll go, after saying goodbye to my friends, he thought sadly. _Tails flew up to the metal case and grabbed the planet egg gently before flying to the ground. Explosions shook the Station and when the three arrived saw a war that after much fighting looked in the direction of Sonic and company. Rouge ran over to Knuckles and held his hand, what she didn't see was Knuckles eye open. "They sure know how to party don't they?"

"Yeah, but our job lies outside; if we fail to get the planet egg outside this planet will be doomed for another wintry year." Racing across the deck the three heroes dodged falling Metarex parts and falling debris, until they stood outside. Cosmo took the planet egg and walked into the snow where she put the planet egg. A beam of light pierced the snow cloud above and then spread over the planet creating a sky filled with blue brilliance. The snow was finally gone. "One more planet saved from the likes of the Metarex, I think we're making a difference now."

"A difference that is now futile," the gold Metarex said. Tails stood in the sinking snow and stood in front of Cosmo as it began to advance. "Our mission has only begun; the universe is for our ruling, and your efforts to restore these planets to their original form, just a sad look at your species." Chris felt his body tremble as the Metarex stomped towards them and in his heart he felt courage. Tails rushed forward and Chris followed and together they climbed the Metarex. However, as they poked at its eye it became infuriated and shook them off sending them to the floor. "And then there was one."

"Hey shards of ice, take this and remember our mission is only heating up," Sonic said. Shadow leaped onto the Metarex's back and kept up a constant speed whirlwind as the Metarex tried to advance on Cosmo. The Typhoon was aimed at the Metarex and inside, Sonic kneeled in the canon. "Alright Cheese, fire!" Rolling at incredible speed Sonic was shot out of the canon and right into the surprised Metarex. The Metarex collapsed and it was over. "So Shadow, where will you go now? No doubt with Dr. Egghead," Sonic said grinning. Shadow turned to him and frowned.

"Dr. Eggman isn't half as bad as these Metarex, besides without him you'd be bored out of your blue world. The answers are out here, someday they will come. We'll see each other again Sonic," Shadow said as he departed. By Eggman's ship Knuckles and Rouge were enjoying a lunch break and both seemed unwilling to talk about the moment. Rouge stared at her emerald and Knuckles poked at a few rocks. Neither noticed Shadow pass by.

"You know since we formed a temporary alliance, that could mean we'll…" Knuckles felt his fist sink into the dirt and he coughed to cover it up. "Look echidna I don't offer this to any guy in my life, so if you…never mind." Over on a hill Chris and Eggman stood there watching the development occur, both had their minds elsewhere. Neither knew what lied ahead.

"Alright let's go everyone," Sonic said. Parting ways the group of the Typhoon left Eggman and began their ascent from the planet. Sonic and Amy stood side by side looking down on the green planet. _Amy saved me, Sonic thought, why do I avoid her…her and, I guess her charm. I noticed Tails and Cosmo getting cozy, he noted, perhaps my bud may have found a blossom yet._ "Well Amy, I guess thanks are in order for your miraculous timing, so thanks." Sonic felt he could've said more, but in these times it was rare to share a kiss. Amy's hand was in his and as he looked he found her arms around him. "Hey Amy-."

"Sonic I'm the girl for you, all those times of you avoiding me, it wasn't because you didn't like me, it was natural hedgehog shyness. Let love take its course, because wherever you are, love has your defense." Sonic moved forward and met her soft lips and felt all his tension drain away. After relaxing their lips they both went to the botanical garden where found Cosmo and Tails. The two were close, but not close enough to be called a couple. "Ah, how sweet."

"Ah…sweet like this petunia," Sonic said trying to not seem like they were spying on them. Tails cocked his head to the side and dismissed their appearance. "Amy calm down, we don't even know if there are sparks. If love is there it will take its course, take your own advise." He put his arm around her waist and the two walked to the bridge. The two found a chair and sat there for the night.

"I miss you dad…mom," Chris said. He was in his bedroom and staring at the last photo they took as a family. Helen was there in another photo and Chris felt concern for her well being, even though back in Station Square she was 17. The day's adventure had drained him of any power to stay up, so he quietly went to sleep. How will this end? How can I say bye to my friends for the 2nd and final time? What will become of my friends?

"Their quest is pointless," Shadow said on a walkway above the master emerald. "What can they accomplish against an enemy who has no heart, and compassion for the good? Maria, I am trying, but I am fighting a losing battle. I see no point on going on." A fluttering brought his attention to the white bat Rouge who he did not notice during his Chaos control. He stared at her coldly.

"Face it Shadow, deep inside that evil body is curiosity and the yearning to understand. Maria wished for you to do good, why not take it up a notch and become reacquainted with your goody friends, who wants to be alone right?" Shadow held the rail and closed his eyes and in the core of his brain he heard Maria and with his idea walked out. Rouge stayed behind staring at the red echidna staring into the master emerald. "Who wants to be alone…?"

"Sonic just wanted you to know I am here, I took a hint from, a friend and now realize the battle is to be fought together like the Space Colony Ark." The crew of the Blue Typhoon was relieved that Shadow was on their side, but before Sonic could thank him he vanished. On the bridge of Eggman's ship Dr. Eggman sat in his chair bored. When Shadow appeared he awaited the report. "The hedgehog and crew believed my words Dr., so do we keep following them?"

"Of course we'll still follow them Shadow, besides that with the Metarex loose we'll need all the help we can get." Can't have him leaving now can we, he thought nervously, imagine Shadow with Sonic, insanely impossible. Both ships leaped through time and space, none were aware that a Metarex hovered there. The Metarex was beaten badly and before it died it sent out a warning to the other Metarex. The big battle was coming and the fate of all the worlds rested on two ships…


End file.
